Õigetel

Õigetel is a word form in Estonian built from the adjective õige, which means “right” or “correct.” It is the adessive plural form of that adjective and is used when describing multiple nouns in the adessive case, typically indicating location or a condition related to those nouns. For example, õigetel teedel means “on the right roads,” and õigetel tingimustel means “under the right conditions.”

In Estonian, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case. The adessive plural ending -tel is used with plural nouns when expressing location, existence, or circumstances in a way that requires the adessive case. Thus õigetel appears specifically in contexts where the noun it modifies is plural and in the adessive case.

Usage notes: Õigetel is common in both everyday and formal Estonian when speakers want to emphasize correctness in a physical location or in a set of conditions. The form can appear in fixed phrases as well as in broader descriptive lines. It cannot stand alone; it must modify a plural noun in the adessive case.

Context and meaning: The precise translation of õigetel depends on the noun it accompanies and the context. In practical terms, it conveys “the right …” or “the correct …” among multiple items, whether describing spatial surroundings (on the right roads) or situational conditions (under the right conditions).

See also: Estonian grammar, Adessive case, Estonian adjectives.